Jimi Hendrix Plaster Caster, Groupie and Chicago Mayoral Candidate
- Tanya Griffin
- Mar 26
- 3 min read
It’s time for another “Guess Who”. Today I'm sharing one badass female artist. This die heart "groupie" donated a plaster cast of Jimi Hendrix’s penis (among other famous breasts and penises), was the muse of books, dramas, comedies, documentaries and songs and, a 2011 Chicago mayoral candidate on the “Hard Party" ticket!
Cynthia Plaster Caster AKA, Cynthia Dorothy Albritton. That's who!
In the late 1960s, Cynthia P. Caster found herself at the heart of the Chicago music scene. A charming Midwest girl, she studied art at the University of Chicago and naturally gravitated to the brave new world of Sex, Drugs and Rock ‘n’ Roll. In college, when assigned a project to “plaster cast something solid that could retain its shape” she, naturally, landed on the idea to create a life cast of an erect penis.
She would choose her cocks wisely, landing rock guitar legend, Jimi Hendrix, as her first celebrity cockcast.
To accomplish this feat, she first figured out how to cast an erect penis using alginate, a dentist mold. Using her male friends for practice, she cast the erect penis, then, once flaccid, exited the mold… Voila!
By the time she was face to face with Hendrix’s appendage she was ready.
While she got her big break with Hendrix, she would go on to cast the cocks of Jon Langford of the Mekons, Eric Burdon of the Animals, Wayne Kramer of the MC5, Pete Shelley of the Buzzcocks and Dead Kennedys front man Jello Biafra to name just a few.
Plastering with Caster meant you were not only a bona fide rockstar but had the balls to be on the mantle alongside Jimi Hendrix!
Her work was never about “shock value”, she brought no shame to the scene, instead her deeply authentic and absolute love for the music reflected the “free love” sexual revolution she so easily embraced.
Cynthia was charismatic, loved by all, and moved easily through the Chicago art/music scene before catching the eye of Frank Zappa. Amused by her work and ingenuity, in 1971, she would find her way to LA on Zappa’s dime.
Frank Zappa found the concept of her cockcasts humorous and creative. While he did not set his own cock free for casting he fully supported her vision.
Caster was 24 when she made the move to LA and happy to be thrust into the Laurel Canyon music scene. She wasted no time befriending Pamala DeBarnes, a fellow ole groupie and member of the girl band, the GTO’s.
With DeBarnes at her side, Cynthia wasted no time getting down with the greatest rock stars of all times.
While she began her career in 1968 casting the penises of rock musicians, she later expanded her subjects to include filmmakers and other artists eventually amassing a collection of 50 plaster phalluses. In 2000, she added breast plasters to the mix and female artists' joined their male peers.
A self-described “recovering groupie” and American visual artist, Caster creatively objectified the penis while teaching the world the sexual expression can be free without shame or stigma.
While in LA she indulged in the music scene and did not create a single cast between 1971 and 1980. With Zappa’ guidance, she entrusted her plasters, for safekeeping, with LA music manager, Herb Cohen. He was not eager to return the iconic treasures, causing Cynthia to file a lawsuit in 1993 for the return of her penis plasters. She recovered all but three from Cohen and in 2000 held her first Art Exhibition in New York City.
In 2009, Cynthia won the Rob Pruitt Award at the first annual Guggenheim Art Awards. She ran for Mayor of Chicago in 2011 on the "Hard Party" ticket and shortly before her death in 2022, donated a copy of her 1968 plaster cast of Jimi Hendrix’s erect penis, a procession now on display at the Icelandic Phallological Museum
In lieu of Tanya’s Tips this week I will share a “Fun Fact” for your viewing pleasure.
Fun Fact: If you also hold a special place in your heart for Jimi Hendirx, Cynthia P. Caster and Pamela DeBarnes can be found validating his cockcast with ‘apparent’ found footage of Hendrix enjoying a threesome.
I have included Cynthia P. Plaster in my March Idol Series not for “shock value”, we are all adults here, but because like her peers, Betty Davis and Shere Hite she unabashedly leaned into the vibe of the times, embraced free love, and taught us all that it was ok to freely express our sexuality.
Follow @YestoSex #MyMarchIdolSeries
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